New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday was fifth in the NBA last season in minutes per game. He actually led the NBA in minutes played before last year’s All-Star break. Holiday missed the final 15 games of the season due to a core muscle injury which required surgery.
With Anthony Davis now on the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pelicans are going to be asking Holiday to carry the team moving forward. It's a burden the All-NBA defender is looking forward to.
Holiday says he trains every summer as if he's going to play 48 minutes per game. Since the Pelicans acquired guards Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart in the Davis trade with the Lakers, Holiday likely won't have to play 48 minutes a night, but he's still going to train as if he'll have to.
“They never told me before I was going to play as much as I did, but that’s what I train for,” Holiday told Scott Kushner of The Advocate. “I train to play 48 minutes per game or 48-plus when needed. But, honestly, I haven’t gotten into that with the front office or coaches this year, and I think we are so deep and have so many guards who can contribute that I won’t need to play as much I did last year.
“But if they need me to do even more, I want to make sure I’m ready to do it.”
Jrue Holiday averaged 35.9 minutes per game last season. The All-Star put up 21.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 67 games.
A lot of people believe the Pelicans might be able to compete for a playoff spot next season. For that to happen, New Orleans will need Holiday to play like the All-Star he is on a nightly basis.
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